(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the identification of gro-1 gene and four other genes located within the same operon and to show that the gro-1 gene is involved in the control of a central physiological clock.
(b) Description of Prior Art
The gro-1 gene was originally defined by a spontaneous mutation isolated from of a Caenorhabditis elegans strain that had recently been established from a wild isolate (J. Hodgkin and T. Doniach, Genetics 146: 149-164 (1997)). We have shown that the activity of the gro-1 gene controls how fast the worms live and how soon they die. The time taken to progress through embryonic and post-embryonic development, as well as the life span of gro-1 mutants is increased (Lakowski and Hekimi, Science 272: 1010-1013, (1996)). Furthermore, these defects are maternally rescuable: when homozygous mutants (gro-1/gro-1) derive from a heterozygous mother (gro-1/+), these animals appear to be phenotypically wild-type. The defects are seen only when homozygous mutants derive from a homozygous mother (Lakowski and Hekimi, Science 272: 10101013, (1996)). In general, the properties of the gro-1 gene are similar to those of three other genes, clk-1, clk-2 and clk-3 (Wong et al., Genetics 139: 1247-1259 (1995); Hekimi et al., Genetics, 141: 1351-1367 (1995); Lakowski and Hekimi, Science 272: 1010-1013, (1996)), and this combination of phenotypes has been called the Clk (“clock”) phenotype. All four of these genes interact to determine developmental rate and longevity in the nematode. Detailed examination of the clk-1 mutant phenotype has led to the suggestion that there exists a central physiological clock which coordinates all or many aspects of cellular physiology, from cell division and growth to aging. All four genes have a similar phenotype and thus appear to impinge on this physiological clock.
It would be highly desirable to be provided with the molecular identity of the gro-1 gene.